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Nebraska Basketball Debuts in Top 50 of First NET Rankings

Nebraska men's basketball debuted inside of the top 50 in the first NCAA Evaluation Tool, or NET, rankings released on Monday. The rankings have the Big Red as the 11th rated team in the Big Ten Conference.

Austin Jacobsen

Dec 1, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers center Braxton Meah (34) passes during the first half against the North Florida Ospreys at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Dec 1, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers center Braxton Meah (34) passes during the first half against the North Florida Ospreys at Pinnacle Bank Arena. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
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Nebraska basketball's early season progress has raised a few eyebrows across the Big Ten Conference and nationally. The NCAA's evaluation tool agrees with evaluators, placing the Huskers within the top 50 of the first NET rankings released on Monday.

Nebraska (6-1) appeared at No. 44 in the first NET rankings of the season, released by the NCAA. The NET rankings, or NCAA Evaluation Tool, is the primary sorting tool for evaluating teams across the country. The factors for rankings include the Team Value Index, a result-based feature that rewards teams for beating quality opponents as well as an adjusted net efficiency.

The Huskers' only blemish this season came away from Pinnacle Bank Arena in a 77-74 loss to Saint-Mary's (CA) at the Sanford Pentagon on Nov. 17. Saint Mary's appeared at No. 25 in the rankings as Nebraska's highest-ranked opponent through their first seven games.

Nebraska men's basketball players huddle during their game against Saint Mary's at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls.
Nebraska men's basketball players huddle during their game against Saint Mary's at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. / Nebraska Athletics

Nebraska has played three top-100 programs in the first NET rankings, including St. Mary's, UTRGV (No. 98) and Creighton (No. 99). The Huskers took down Rio Grande Valley on opening night, 87-67, then handled the Bluejays on Nov. 22, 74-63, at the CHI Health Center.

The Big Red's other victories have come over Bethune-Cookman (No. 275), Fairleigh-Dickinson (No. 338), South Dakota (No. 162), and Sunday's win over North Florida (No. 119).

Nebraska's No. 44 ranking places the Huskers 11th out of the 18 Big Ten Conference teams. Illinois (No. 10) is the highest ranked program, followed by Ohio State (No. 12), Oregon (No. 15), UCLA (No. 16), Wisconsin (No. 17), Purdue (No. 21), Maryland (No. 23), Penn State (No. 34), Michigan (No. 35), and Michigan State (No. 41). Nebraska battles the Spartans to begin Big Ten play on Saturday, visiting East Lansing for an 11 a.m. CST tip on the Big Ten Network.

Connor Essegian (0), Sam Hoiberg (1) and Berke Büyüktuncel (9) celebrate a Huskers three pointer.
Connor Essegian (0), Sam Hoiberg (1) and Berke Büyüktuncel (9) celebrate a Huskers three pointer. / Amarillo Mullen

The Huskers are ahead of Iowa (No. 54), Indiana (No. 71), Northwestern (No. 73), Rutgers (No. 86), Washington (No. 116), Minnesota (No. 155), and USC (No. 169). Nebraska hosts the Hoosiers for the Big Ten home opener on Friday, Dec. 13.

Nebraska is currently tied for third in the conference with six programs sporting a 6-1 record.

Nebraska's Kenpom rankings have also vaulted up, jumping 15 positions to No. 47 as of Sunday to No. 47. The Kenpom evaluation also has the Huskers as the 11th best team in the Big Ten.

As noted by KLIN's Jack Mitchell on X, Nebraska's current No. 44 ranking by NET isn't too far away from where the Big Red finished at No. 33 last season.

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Austin Jacobsen
AUSTIN JACOBSEN

Austin Jacobsen is a radio broadcaster and former Sports Director in Central Nebraska. He has seen the Cornhusker state from all corners; growing up in the Panhandle, completing his college degree in Kearney, working in the rural Sandhills, and now residing in Omaha. Austin is a statewide, regional, and national radio award winner and can usually be found at a high school football field on Friday nights and tuning in to the Huskers wherever they travel. If he is not on the road, Austin enjoys movie dates with his girlfriend and their dog, Ava.

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